"Well, if the Church of Satan were going to survive the death of its founder and move from being a suspected cult to a bonafide religious entity, SOMEONE would have to pick up the banner and move on after LaVey died. LaVey's big mistake, in my opinion, was in not providing for a clearly chosen successor, and laying out exactly what qualities that he would wish in the one to follow him."

Agreed.

"Barton to Nadramia to Gilmore"Barton by default, because of the kid. Peggy and Gilmore are married, and were out there at the time. I think the real challenges will be when the kid is legal age and starts to fight with his older sisters about his Dads stuff. As well as telling Peter he wants control of his Dads' group, and history. I don't think Peter will take that day easily.

Morgan

ps, look at it another way.Survival of the fittest, who wants it most.Maybe that was his idea (Anton), let them fight it out, and whoever really wants to carry on his legacy will do just that.

In general, If you settle for second, maybe you didn't want it enough.

Edited by Morgan (01/17/0904:56 PM)Edit Reason: ps note

_________________________
Courage Conquering Fear Fuck em if they can't take a jokeDon't Like What I Say, Kiss My Ass

If I might add, I totally agree, the CoS does not have a monopoly on Satanism, despite the fact that they keep trying, the reason Gilmore doesn't like Internet satanic networking, is because its the very thing that gives them competition from different satanist sects that exist and/or might come into existence. I fail to see why it cannot be a "movement" and a "community" at the same time, its like saying individualist cannot stick together, but they can for common interest, hence the slogan "unity for individuality". I believe the Satanic Bible is a great stepping stone for anyone thats truly interested in following Satanism, but its only a stepping stone, afterwards, one must find their own satanic path! Another thing I find strange about Gilmore is that he attacks i-pods, which I cant understand, Satanism is about innovation, I'm not going to ignore innovation any more then I'm going to ignore anti-biotics because the herd happens to be using it, and lets be honest, for those in the past that owned walkmen, only in our dreams we wish we had i-pods back then lol. In conclusion CoS attacking other satanist sects for existing, is no different then the pope's church forbiding other christian sects from existing. The way I see it, competition is healthy and thats very satanic despite the constant rants of Mr. Peter H. Gilmore!

If I may defend Gilmore here just a bit, and I am by no means a supporter of his or the CoS in its current form, the reason he wrote that article originally was because of a series of incidents online (mainly Usenet, IRC, web chatrooms) from the time of Dr. LaVey's passing up to 2001-2002 or so.

The problems involved several CoS Priests/Magisters and regular members. Andre Schlesinger (head of the former Maninblack Grotto) was a huge problem and embarrassment for Gilmore personally, since they are very good friends in NYC, and anyone who has ever met Schlesinger will tell you while he isn't a bad guy (necessarily), he has an extremely bad attitude and is very ill-tempered. In person, I would say he's not that bad, but online he can come across as extremely rude and even insane. In chatrooms, for instance, he was constantly attacking other CoS members (both new and old) who weren't part of his online "clique" (which included others like Ventrue and Matt G. Paradise).

Tani Jantsang was another serious headache for Gilmore. She was constantly baiting people on Usenet and on IRC and was another very volatile personality. But she was also a Magistra and was personally acquainted with Blanche Barton and was also on good terms with Gilmore and Nadramia, though I wouldn't go so far as to say they were very good friends.

There were several other problematic individuals, but I'm most familiar with these two cases. Basically, Gilmore and Nadramia found themselves having to defend these people's ludicrous behavior on the Internet and at some point they gave up.

This was one of the reasons (among other far, far more serious problems) why they abolished the Grotto system again, for the second time. It was also why Gilmore wrote a strongly worded notice informing members that there are no official CoS forums or chatrooms and advising them not to frequent Internet forums/chatrooms, which then led to his writing the article about the "Myth of the Satanic Community."

He admitted that several high-ranking members (though he didn't name names) were involved in the problems, and Jantsang and a whole bunch of other people left or were stripped of their memberships. Jantsang leaving the CoS was for the best, in my opinion, as she just gave the CoS a bad name.

But Schlesinger is still with the CoS, but only because he was a very old local buddy in real life, though Gilmore was pissed off at the guy for awhile and I don't think he's even active on LttD much at all from what I can tell. In my personal opinion, Gilmore's refusal to kick him out as well as other problematic members (like William Gidney of Jesus of Borg, who eventually was arrested and convicted for child sexual assault in 2003 and is still serving time) because he was personal friends with them basically irreparably damaged the reputation and credibility of the CoS.

So when understood in context that essay on the Satanic community is really more of an internal critique than a critique of other groups. They may try to spin it that way, but the reality is that Gilmore knows how screwed up the CoS is and he can't fix it. He doesn't have the personality or charisma (people have mentioned that he sounds like a dork on TV; in person he's much, much worse) nor does he have the imagination or the fortitude to push the CoS forward.

What he's really been doing since the early 2000s is serious damage control and doing whatever he can to keep the CoS together until Xerxes is old enough to take over, which is the basic idea, though personally I think there have been some disputes with Barton about this. Whatever the case, Gilmore needs to stop doing television and radio interviews. Even Ventrue would be a better spokesperson.

As for other groups besides the CoS, personally I find most of them to be an embarrassment. If there is any credible "alternative" to the current CoS, it would be Karla's group, but I have no experience with that one and it would appear to be more locally oriented to SF. She's very down-to-earth and not pretentious at all (very rare traits these days), and she's got plenty of charisma, so she could've expanded it beyond what it currently is, if she had so desired.

In terms of Internet forums, honestly this is the first one I've come across since Usenet and LttD went to hell that seems to be rather stable with enough quality posters to keep interesting discussions going, and where people simply aren't just bashing each other or talking about how "elite" they are and so on and so forth.

Everywhere else (and this includes the semi-official CoS forums) it's pretty bad, you have to admit.

The main problem is that Gilmore is attempting to lead, although he has never really been taught how to lead. You can accept 4 stars and the title of General, but without a firm grounding in the basics of command, the ability to instill confidence in the troops, and the intestinal fortitude not to resort to croneyism and the dilution of your station, you might as well just be a janitor, if all you are doing is "holding the place" for someone else to come along.

Playing up to the Temple of Vampire, simply throwing titles on people, turning The Church of Satan into a corner store for all of your Satanic Needs, and mugging for the camera are hardly signs of leadership. The once venerated Church of Satan that some of us found in the early years and stood proudly with for decades has become little more than a bunch of petulant children bickering over whose toys are whose, and who mommy and daddy like best.

They've forgotten the words. They've become what we were born to be against! In the end, they've become it.

"Alas, too long have they studied "righteousness", and poor and incompetent devils they make. So they all join hands in "brotherly" unity, and in their desperation go to Valhalla for their last great ecumenical council. "Draweth near in the gloom the twilight of the gods." The ravens of night have flown forth to summon Loki, who hath set Valhalla aflame with the searing trident of the Inferno. The twilight is done. A glow of new light is borne out of the night aSatan! Satan Rules the Earth!"

LaVey wrote about it long, long before it happened, before there was an Internet, and before there were online groups. I've held off on posting this, one of his articles from The Cloven Hoof, but in light of all of this "community" discussion, it seems appropriate.

May/June X A.S. (1975 for the Heathens) issue of The Cloven Hoof.

UTOPIA, UNITY and OTHER PLEASANT DIVERSIONSby Anton Szandor LaVey

One of the earmarks of success in any organization is a deviation by certain factions into independent organizations. Most religions succumb to sectarianism or schism in varying degrees, for dissidence is a normal social phenomenon. I have done little to discourage factionalism, believing that water seeks its own level if allowed to do so. The sectarian stratification which often ensues exhibits a wide range of attitudes toward the Church of Satan.

When asked, "What do you think of (such and such) group who call themselves Satanists?", my response is always the same: "First tell me what they think of us." Marginal Satanic groups can result from diverse causes and conditions. Wanting to be boss is one. Some require more institutionalized activity than is readily available. Others seeking titular variety find our degree system too constraining. Some are under the misapprehension that they are unable to join the C/S unless invited or sponsored. There are many others who just want to do their own thing, as suggested in our literature. When acknowledged as inspiration and guideline, we welcome with understanding and good wishes the existence of other Satanic groups. It would be out of character to condemn one for expressing his or her ego. Conversely, if any group is outspokenly hostile towards us, while aping our tenets in thin disguise, I cannot help but evaluate its origin as either resentment or disgruntlement.

Kenneth Anger, whose creative work has been "borrowed from" and stolen on a seemingly endless basis, summed it up to me once: "They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Bullshit! It's nothing more than a rip-off." Proceding on that premise, I know we have imitators; I am aware of various esoteric and arcane groups with credos and organizational structures patterned after ours, who say only derogatory things, if any, about us. I expect no other kind of behavior and am pleasantly surprised when it is otherwise. I find my books conspicuous for their absence in the bibliographies of many writers who have obviously drawn heavily from my output. Yet what logic would there be in expecting credit? Does a thief stand in front of a house from whence he stole a TV set, informing passersby?

Amidst all kinds of factionalism, sectarianism, stratification, and obfuscation related to the Church of Satan as an organization and Satanism as a movement, one lesson can be learned: In Unity there is weakness, in dispersion there is strength. If this sounds like Orwellian double-think, it is. But it works. So-called unity, which develops beyond a small circle, breeds factionalism in any organization, unless overt dispersion is encouraged.

The Church of Satan is a pivotal point around which much revolves. I respect a Satanist who can recognize a natrual need for a pivotal point yet maintain individuality; move in varied circles, influence those without, infiltrate, and when possible, emerge with flying colors; and eschew intermural rivalries.

Unfortunately, that is a big order to fill, even among Satanists. Therefore, group activity which leads to cliquishness which leads to factionalism is bound to occur. If there is any merit that evolves from factionalism, it is the separation and isolation process it provides. Factionalists are usually so preoccupied with their own importance and dissatisfaction that they honk their horns loudly, and invariably at each other. They keep things lively, they act flashy, and the customers (the public) are entertained. They provide an effective contrast to the aloof and self-sufficiency of supportive and constructive Satanists, who inhabit the Pleasure Domes I anticipated in my earliest C/S writings.

The Church of Satan, often denigrated but seldom ignored, encourages stratification.

(3) 1975+: Grottos either transitioned into Temple of Set Pylons or discontinued. Membership becomes individual/at-large.

Anton LaVey was completely comfortable with #1. #2 sort of took him by surprise. He [and especially Diane] worked conscientiously at being the executive heads of a national structure. But it wasn't something with which either of them had had experience, and that structure was essentially growing faster than the procedures needed to keep it harmonious & efficient. By 1974 the Grottos were pretty much autonomous while Anton was becoming reclusive and increasingly nervous about this "Frankenstein monster" he had created. Hence his efforts [as in his "Phase IV Message"] to stop chartering Grottos, discourage newsletter circulation, discontinue the very successful regional and forthcoming national conclaves, etc.

In June 1975 the "Frankenstein monster" transitioned into the Temple of Set, but Anton was clearly not interested in returning to a 1966-69 local operation. He wanted to retain the national image and prestige, just not the responsibilities and headaches of a corresponding structure. Degree-titles became informal and arbitrary, as did the "Grotto" term. Any kind of membership publication or interaction that could not be channeled through 6114 ceased. This also made it possible for Anton to make any kind of grandiose claims about the Church [more often now "the Movement"] that he wished, without fear of contradiction.

Let's caveat here that the 1970-75 explosion of the Church of Satan was all the more difficult because of Satanism's inherently anarchic, individualistic, and artistic nature. This was a "herding cats" situation, not like running a bunch of Rotary clubs! Anton and Diane can be forgiven for waking up screaming at 4AM more than a few nights.

You begin to see the problem here. After Anton kicked the bucket, Gilmore was left with a Church that was not a church, a Satan that you weren't supposed to believe in, magical rituals that were officially good only for fooling yourself, meaningless priesthood/degree titles, and an ideology that had become reflective of Anton's post-1975 personality rather than independent of him [much less derivative of Satan]. This leaves Gilmore with just the option of loyally perpetuating Anton's personal image and glamor, while somehow trying to represent this effort as a bona-fide Church of Satan. Even granting him the best of intentions, this is an irreconcilable dilemma.

If as commented by a previous poster to this thread, Gilmore's just trying to hold the thing together until Xerxes can take it off his hands, that's (a) a long time, and (b) no guarantee that X will have the charisma, organizational skills, or even interest in Satanism by that point. [The entire topic has, as exemplified by this 600 Forum, become far more ambiguous and multifaceted than it was in the 1960s.] Nor was the original Church of Satan, as defined in its corporate papers, ever intended to be "family-dynastic". It had an independent, corporate existence. [This too was casually disregarded by Anton post-1975, resulting in his various family descendants and claimants feeling that it was just part of his personal estate.]

If Gilmore were to throw up his hands and offer the Church of Satan to anyone who could do a better job with it today, does anyone here really think that he or she could? I suspect not. It's too entangled with Anton LaVey's ghost.

The main problem is that Gilmore is attempting to lead, although he has never really been taught how to lead. You can accept 4 stars and the title of General, but without a firm grounding in the basics of command, the ability to instill confidence in the troops, and the intestinal fortitude not to resort to croneyism and the dilution of your station, you might as well just be a janitor, if all you are doing is "holding the place" for someone else to come along.

Playing up to the Temple of Vampire, simply throwing titles on people, turning The Church of Satan into a corner store for all of your Satanic Needs, and mugging for the camera are hardly signs of leadership. The once venerated Church of Satan that some of us found in the early years and stood proudly with for decades has become little more than a bunch of petulant children bickering over whose toys are whose, and who mommy and daddy like best.

They've forgotten the words. They've become what we were born to be against! In the end, they've become it.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The current CoS reminds me of the pretentious pseudo-Satanists in the Polanski film, "The Ninth Gate." If you haven't seen it, I wouldn't want to spoil it, but there is a hilarious scene with a bunch of these jokers gathering together and having their charade exposed as an absurdity.

The irony of that film is that the only true Satanist was the one guy (Dean Corso, played by Johnny Depp) who was a skeptic all throughout and in the end, is the only one who is victorious. It's an excellent and very underrated film, with a very Satanic ethos.

Your "corner store" analogy is also very apt, considering this business with the Temple of the Vampire. That, above and beyond anything else has made a massive mockery of everything LaVey worked so hard to establish. I honestly, to this day, still cannot believe that this thing actually exists and that the majority of the CoS leadership (Council of Nine and company) are ToV members. Its beyond absurd.

You begin to see the problem here. After Anton kicked the bucket, Gilmore was left with a Church that was not a church, a Satan that you weren't supposed to believe in, magical rituals that were officially good only for fooling yourself, meaningless priesthood/degree titles, and an ideology that had become reflective of Anton's post-1975 personality rather than independent of him [much less derivative of Satan]. This leaves Gilmore with just the option of loyally perpetuating Anton's personal image and glamor, while somehow trying to represent this effort as a bona-fide Church of Satan. Even granting him the best of intentions, this is an irreconcilable dilemma.

I agree with most of this, especially the part about the Church no longer being a "Church," since it has indeed devolved into an Internet-based social club revolving around Gilmore and his personal friends, and this business of selling the ToV. Since the demise of 6114, there is no longer a true central gathering point and in NYC, the whole thing is basically run like a mail-order business from Gilmore's rent controlled apartment in Hell's Kitchen. And I would also say that since Gilmore and his wife live rent control (i.e. in NYC, that's like paying nothing), the CoS membership dues and ToV probably go a long way in paying their bills. If even only a few people join the CoS as registered members each month, that's more than enough for Gilmoer to not only pay his rent but have quite a bit left over for personal expenses.

However, the one thing I do have to disagree with is this idea that you're not supposed to believe in Satan. Thing is, and I know very well your views on this and the evidence you have presented, but in my humble opinion, I would say you take LaVey's words far too literally.

One could make a legitimate argument in favor of LaVey viewing Satan as a symbolic representation of the dark or creative forces of nature, but as an intelligent, sentient being? There is nothing in his writings or commentary to suggest that.

There have been plenty of cultures and civilizations in the past, such as those amongst the Greeks and Romans, who viewed their gods and goddesses as more symbolic than literally existing beings.

Now, I'm assuming that you're not suggesting that LaVey believed in an anthropomorphic Satan (i.e. a stereotypical Christian devil with cloven hoofs, horns, and a tail), because while I don't know a lot about the ToS and your beliefs, I'm doubtful you would accept such a view, since it was literally a Christian invention from medieval times.

Blanche Barton did mention in a television interview once that LaVey did literally believe in the actual existence of Satan, but I think she meant that in terms of Satan being a dark force rather than a sentient entity.

The problem is semantics. If I tell someone I'm a Satanist, they would probably assume I'm a devil worshipper. To another person, that could just mean I'm anti-Christian. And yet to another, it could mean I believe in the superiority of evil. And of course, none of these would be correct.

If I invoke Satan in a ritual and suspending my disbelief (since suspension of disbelief is a must in the ritual chamber) and accepting for that moment that I am invoking an existing power (however you wish to define it), does that automatically mean that Satan is real or actually existing? Objectively speaking, there would be no evidence to suggest that. The first requirement of ritual performance is suspension of disbelief, otherwise the effort would be futile. But at the same time, that doesn't make the Devil anymore real than say, a vampire. And this is, by the way, the primary methodology behind the workings of the ToV, i.e. suspending your disbelief and worshipping (!) "Undead Gods" and all this other nonsense.

Anyway, I'm getting way off topic here, but I think the issue of LaVey and Satan is far more complex than simply boiling it down to the question of whether or not he believed in Satan. Still, I'm very confident he didn't belive in the literal existence of any anthropomorphic deities or any Christian image of Satan. It simply doesn't add up when you take everything into account.

Originally Posted By: Michael A.Aquino

If Gilmore were to throw up his hands and offer the Church of Satan to anyone who could do a better job with it today, does anyone here really think that he or she could? I suspect not. It's too entangled with Anton LaVey's ghost.

You're right insofar as it would be extremely difficult to find someone with as strong a personality as LaVey, with his level of charismatic force, but it's not in the realm of impossibility.

It would be a very different CoS, that is absolutely undeniable. But Satanism is not a personality cult and while LaVey's writings will always be of paramount importance since he was the first to distill this knowledge, that doesn't mean Satanism has to stagnate.

Take the Objectivists, for example. Under Leonard Peikoff (whose personality is almost exactly like that of Gilmore), the Ayn Rand Institute is nothing more than an ideological personality cult holding up Ayn Rand as the infallible source of all earthly wisdom. To Peikoff and his cronies, Objectivism began and ended with Ayn Rand. End of story.

And if you look at their website, they are an extremely reactionary and cult-like organization, promoting absurdist and unrealistic foreign policy and military strategy (from people who have never even fought in combat, let alone served in the military in any capacity.) Gilmore has pretty much done the same thing to the CoS, but obviously (and fortunately) does not have any political clout. And as Jake has noted, he is an ineffective leader for the simple reason that he doesn't have the training nor the life experience.

A receiver will be appointed by the court, at defendant’s expense, to prepare an accounting and inventory of all partnership assets, and upon completion of such accounting a dissolution of the partnership will occur and all partnership assets will be divided 50-50 between the parties.

That “partnership”, of course, was/is the Church of Satan. Victoire interpreted the Church as a “business partnership” belonging jointly to Anton and Diane, and ordered it dissolved and its assets divided accordingly.

Later on in 1992, during his filing for bankrupcy, Anton filed a statement:

Originally Posted By: Anton LaVey

... My income derives from my operation as a sole proprietor known as the Church of Satan and from royalties from the sales of my books ... I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.

So now the Church of Satan is no longer a "business partnership" with Diane, but a "sole proprietorship", i.e. a personal business company.

Strictly speaking the Church was neither; it was a non-profit, charitable corporation whose assets belonged to neither Anton nor Diane:

Originally Posted By: Church of Satan Articles of Incorporation

Filed in the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of California, September 20, 1971Edmund J. Brown, Jr., Secretary of State

First: The name of the corporation is Church of Satan, Inc., a corporation sole.

Second: The undersigned officer is duly authorized by the rules, regulations, tenets, discipline, doctrine, and protocol of the Church of Satan to take such action.

Third: The purposes for which this corporation is formed are:a. The specific and primary purpose is to administer and manage the affairs, property, temporalities, and grottos of the Church of Satan.b. The general purposes and powers are:1. To sue and be sued and defend in all courts and places, in all matters and proceedings whatever.2. To contract in the same manner and to the same extent as a natural person, for the purposes of this trust.3. To borrow money and give promissory notes therefor, and secure the payment thereof by mortgage or other lien on property, real or personal.4. To buy, sell, lease, mortgage, or otherwise hypothecate real and personal property in the same manner that a natural person may, without the order of any court.5. To receive bequests and devises for its own use or in trusts to the same extent as natural persons may, subject, however, to the laws regulating the transfer of property by will.6. To appoint attorneys in fact.7. Generally to have and exercise all other rights and powers now conferred or which may hereafter be conferred on such corporations by the laws of California.8. Notwithstanding any of the above statements of purpose and powers, this corporation shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any activities or exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the primary purpose of this corporation.

Fourth: This corporation is organized as a corporation sole pursuant to the provisions of Part 2 of Division 2 of Title 1 of the Corporation Code of the State of California.

Fifth: The city and county in this State where the principal office for the transaction of the business of this corporation is located in the City and County of San Francisco.

Sixth: The manner in which a vacancy occurring in the office of the High Priest is required by the rules, regulations, tenets, discipline, doctrine, and protocol of the Church of Satan to be filled is as follows:The High Priestess shall ascend to the office of the High Priest, but should the High Priestess be unable to serve for any reason whatsoever, then said office shall be assumed by the Grand Master of the Temple - Magister Templi Rex. Should the Grand Master of the Temple be unable to serve for any reason whatsoever, then said office of the High Priest shall be assumed by such person as shall be chosen by the Council of the Trapezoid, which Council shall be composed of not less than nine (9) persons to be appointed and removed by the High Priest, Anton Szandor LaVey, from time to time, as he may deem necessary and proper in the administration and management of the said Church of Satan.

Seventh: This corporation shall have perpetual existence and continuity of existence, notwithstanding any vacancy in the incumbency hereof. During the period of any such vacancy, the corporation shall have the same capacity and right to receive and take any gift, bequest, devise, or conveyance of property, either as grantee for its own use, or as trustee, and to be or be made the beneficiary of a trust as though there were no vacancy. No agency created by the corporation by a written instrument, in which express terms provides that the agency thereby created shall not be terminated by a vacancy in the incumbency of the corporation, is terminated by or affected by the death of the incumbent or by any vacancy in the incumbency, however caused.

Eighth: The property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to charitable and religious purposes and no part of the net income or assets of this organization shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer, or member thereof or to the benefit of any private persons. Upon dissolution or winding up of the corporation, its assets, remaining after payment, or provision for payment, of all debts and liabilities of this corporation shall be distributed to a non-profit fund, foundation, or corporation which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and religious purposes, and which has established its tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.If this corporation holds any assets in trust, or the corporation is formed for charitable and religious purposes, such assets shall be disposed of in such manner as may be directed by decree of the Superior Court of the county in which the corporation has its principal office, to wit, within the city and country of San Francisco, upon petition therefor by the Attorney General or by any person concerned in the liquidation in any proceeding to which the Attorney General is a party.

Ninth: Any judge of the Superior Court in the county in which this corporation has its principal office shall at all times have access to the books of this corporation.

Tenth: The corporation may establish one or more common trust funds for the purpose of furnishing investments to it or to any duly organized grotto as may be established from time to time by the High Priest of said Church of Satan and/or such duly organized and existing grotto.

Eleventh:a. The chief officer of this corporation may at any time amend these Articles of Incorporation, changing its name, the term of its existence, its territorial jurisdiction, or the manner of filling any vacancy in the office hereof, and may be amended Articles of Incorporation make provision for any act or thing for which provision is authorized in original Articles of Incorporation of corporation sole.b. The chief officer of this corporation shall sign and verify a statement setting forth the provisions of the amendment and stating that it has been duly authorized by the Church of Satan.c. The amendment shall be submitted to the Secretary of State for filing in his office.d. A copy of the amendment, certified by the Secretary of State and bearing the endorsement of the date of filing in his office, shall be filed in the office of the county clerk of the county in which the corporation has its principal office, and in each county in which it holds real property.

Dated 15 April 1971

/s/ Anton Szandor LaVey

* * *I, Anton Szandor LaVey, declare that I am the High Priest of the Church of Satan; that I have been duly authorized by the rules, regulations, tenets, discipline, doctrine, and protocol of said Church of Satan to organize the foregoing corporation; that I have read and signed the foregoing Articles of Incorporation, and know of my own knowledge that they comply with said rules, regulations, tenets, discipline, doctrine, and protocol; and that they are true and correct.I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.Executed on 15 April 1971 at the City and Country of San Francisco, State of California.

/s/ Anton Szandor LaVeyHigh Priest

There was never a "Magister Templi Rex" appointed by Anton through 1975, and the title was obsolete shortly after the incorporation because the IV° was officially redefined to:

[Through 1975 no one was raised to the /III'. John Ferro and Charles Steenbarger were /I' and I was /II'.]

In the turf battles following Anton's death, Sharon "Blanche Barton" Densley apparently discovered the corporate papers and there was a flurry of "High Priest", "High Priestess", and "MT Rex" musical chairs involving Densley, Karla, and the Gilmores. How all this turned out is anyone's guess, and I don't know whether the corporation ever brought its California registration up-to-date. I do know that it never qualified for tax-exempt status as a church, so presumably Gilmore should be filing & paying annual California corporate income taxes on its behalf.

[Although Anton later made a habit of stating that the Church deliberately refused tax-exempt status as a gesture of protest against religious tax-exemption, this was simply an excuse for the Church of Satan’s failure to qualify for exemption. On September 16, 1971 a California tax-exemption was issued for the Church, conditional upon a federal exemption. When this was not granted, the California exemption was revoked in 1973. It was reapplied for in 1975, then revoked again in 1985. As of 1992 - the last time I checked - neither the California Attorney General nor the Federal Internal Revenue Service listed the Church of Satan as an exempt organization.]

Any of this would be speculation, and in no way relevant to the topic of this thread, "Peter H. Gilmore'S TAKE ON "THE SATANIC COMMUNITY."

Let's resist the temptation to go off on tangents and stay within the topic at hand.

I'm sorry you saw it that way, Jake. It's my fault... I should have been more clear in my original post.

My reason for asking is to find out if the CoS was ever really lucrative for its handlers then, and then speculate if it's still a lucrative activity. If it is, then this would go a long way in explaining Gilmore's mindset toward Satanic activity "outside the fold" so to speak.

Money talks and bullshit walks. I think I know which is the order of the day with the CoS hierarchy, but it's nice to know.

My reason for asking is to find out if the CoS was ever really lucrative for its handlers then, and then speculate if it's still a lucrative activity.

When I joined in 1969, the Church of Satan application fee was $13 [lifetime - no annual dues]. By 1975 the application fee was $25 and annual dues were $10 ($15 for couples). During 1970-75 Church membership fluctuated, but generally a maximum of around 250 persons. I was able to get our degree medallions made by the Wolf-Brown Company (which did all of the cloisonne emblems for the U.S. Armed Forces and the KKK) for $3.50 apiece, so the Church sold them to members for $7. That was it. The only other ongoing expense was the Cloven Hoof newsletter, which first Diane & then I ran off on a mimeograph machine and then hand-mailed-out each month. So all things considered, it was a very $-modest operation. Diane told me that in lean months she and Anton would kick in from their personal income (his lectures, private consultations, classes, book royalties). In case you're curious concerning the last, the Satanic Bible sold for 95¢/copy when it was first published in 1969, of which Anton got a whopping 10¢/copy. So in those days the Church of Satan was certainly not a cash cow for anyone - just a labor of love.

Originally Posted By: Diane LaVey to M.A.A. 7/20/71

[critiquing the draft Grotto Manual] ... The application fee is now $25 and annual renewal $15. The commission on new memberships recruited by Grotto Leaders is $10, and for Agents it is $5. It just occurred to me that you probably thought we had miscalculated the 20% Agent’s commission in the letter we sent to them, since you didn’t know about the price increase. Even though I flunked math, I rarely make a mistake when figuring money!

... We agree that non-members should be charged more for Grotto activities, but remember that this would not apply to rituals to which they would not be admitted at all. Also, in order to maintain the exclusiveness of the Church on the local level as well as here at the headquarters, non-members should be allowed to attend only those activities which are specifically planned for them, such as introductory lectures and possibly informal discussions.

If it sounds as though we’re becoming more business-minded, we are - and it’s about time! We’ve got something very valuable in the Church of Satan, and we are not about to entertain hordes of freeloaders just to cajole them into joining our elitist organization. Freeloaders are freeloaders (psychically as well as financially), and they’ll not change once they’ve joined, if they ever do. We don’t need them!

We heartily agree that a fee should be charged for Grotto activities, but we have become a bit too misanthropic in our old age to give the green light to shrewd, mercenary individuals who will undoubtedly find their way into positions of Grotto Leaders and use their office to milk their members financially.

A maximum fee should be set for normal Grotto functions (rituals, lectures, private counseling), and funds for special activities (dinners, outings, etc.) should be strictly controlled, with receipts being kept for all expenses. For the usual Grotto activities the members can either donate what they wish [but, as you wisely pointed out, should be told such a collection will be taken], or may be charged a set “donation” as the Grotto Leader so chooses. The set donation should not exceed $2 or $3. On “high holidays” (Walpurgisnacht and Halloween), when a large turnout is expected, $5 should be tops.

... We’ve worked very hard for five years to come by any financial gain through ultra-ethical means and don’t want our work to have been for naught, especially since the bulk (about 75%) of the Church’s financial reserve has come from non-Church sources, i.e. the Master’s writing, lecturing, etc.

The personal appearance honorariums should definitely be encouraged, especially if the speaker is amply qualified to speak with some degree of polish and a good deal of Satanic insight. And this should be partially the basis on which the proper fee is determined.

Also to be considered, though, is the budget on which each group (school - grammar, Jr. high, high, or college - women’s club, Girl Scout troop, or “the opposition”) operates. Elementary schools usually have no funds for speakers. Exceptions to this are usually found in private schools, where occasionally they’ll pay as much as a college. Jr. high schools have approximately the same budgets as elementary schools, but colleges and universities will normally pay a decent fee, although they often must be pressured into it.

The honorarium for a school must also be commensurate with the size group and the economic stratum of the neighborhood in which the school is located. The various clubs, broadcast media, and charitable organizations must be considered individually, of course. Although we grant that we are not - nor should be expected to be - good Samaritans, we would like to think that our Grotto Leaders’ and Agents’ first concern is the dissemination of correct information on the Church of Satan, not financial gain. So if a local boys’ club can’t scrape together the requested fee, it should be the responsibility of the Church’s spokesmen to “spread a bit of good will” by giving at least a brief talk gratis to deserving “pauper” groups.

Thank you for your answer. I personally wonder if the CoS is doing better than that these days. I'd have to guess that book royalties are going to Satan Xerxes. Application fee for the church is now $200, but there would have a be a substantial influx of new members for that to make anyone a living.

Actually, I believe as part of the "estate" agreement, all future royalties from LaVey books and music are split into 3 shares--- Zeena, Karla and Xerxes (with Barton overseeing them) and I believe that Diane LaVey receives a small portion of the Bible and Rituals royalties that comes out BEFORE that 3 way split...